How Much Are Bob Ficano's Drivers Costing Wayne Co. Taxpayers?

**Zacha341** · January-20-12, 06:35 AM

See video....

http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/news...rs-20120119-ms

**Scottathew** · January-20-12, 08:57 AM

Absolutely disgusting.

Not only do the taxpayers foot the bill for his car, but they also pay gobs of money to have his cronies drive him around.

Not just one driver... but THREE...

Ficano is just another Kwame, I hope he goes down too.

9mile&seneca · January-20-12, 09:19 AM

Does he fly around on private jets to give speeches where he tells the peons they should ride bicycles wherever they go? No. This guy is strictly bush league.

**7miledog** · January-20-12, 09:46 AM

And the hits just keep on coming. I have to say that I am surprised by the lack of outrage on the whole Ficano mess from the DYes forum. When the Kwame scandal struck, there was a whole mega-thread going within a week or two, and here we are a couple months into this and there are maybe 200 posts over 3 or so threads. I wonder why the apparent double-standard when it comes to two equally disgusting public "servants"?

**Zackdog** · January-20-12, 09:48 AM

Ficano needs a driver because he can't reach the accelerator.

**Bagley** · January-20-12, 10:54 AM

What are sanitation specialists usually paid?

**rjk** · January-20-12, 11:04 AM

Originally Posted by 7miledog

And the hits just keep on coming. I have to say that I am surprised by the lack of outrage on the whole Ficano mess from the DYes forum. When the Kwame scandal struck, there was a whole mega-thread going within a week or two, and here we are a couple months into this and there are maybe 200 posts over 3 or so threads. I wonder why the apparent double-standard when it comes to two equally disgusting public "servants"?

Come on, there was a lot more drama involved in the KK case.
If you were two make a movie about BF and KK which one do you think would be a bigger success? The BF situation is rather boring other than him liking to hand out tax payer money. If KK just had people on his staff that were just collecting money [[Which he did) he'd still be the mayor.

**detroitsgwenivere** · January-20-12, 12:09 PM

People are outraged. But they are also tired of all this... It never seems to end.

I'd be interested to hear what people outside of Detroit in Wayne Co. think about all of this. Because the story I got from some folks downriver was that Bob has done plenty of good for the people on the westside of Wayne Co. at the expense of the rest of us, in their opinion.

**7miledog** · January-20-12, 01:14 PM

Originally Posted by rjk

Come on, there was a lot more drama involved in the KK case.
If you were two make a movie about BF and KK which one do you think would be a bigger success? The BF situation is rather boring other than him liking to hand out tax payer money. If KK just had people on his staff that were just collecting money [[Which he did) he'd still be the mayor.

I suppose the lack of salaciousness may explain some of the difference in the level of interest, but the level of outrage, or lack thereof, still seems somewhat lopsided though. Other than the allegations of sexual impropriety with KK and CB, etc, many of the facts are very similar: misuse of public funds and shakedowns of contractors [[a la M. Grundy). Even looking back on the Navigator scandal, I seem to remember quite a bit of vehemence, though at that time I was just a Forum lurker and not an active participant.

**MSUguy** · January-20-12, 06:13 PM

Originally Posted by 7miledog

I suppose the lack of salaciousness may explain some of the difference in the level of interest, but the level of outrage, or lack thereof, still seems somewhat lopsided though. Other than the allegations of sexual impropriety with KK and CB, etc, many of the facts are very similar: misuse of public funds and shakedowns of contractors [[a la M. Grundy). Even looking back on the Navigator scandal, I seem to remember quite a bit of vehemence, though at that time I was just a Forum lurker and not an active participant.

I'd agree that there was much more outrage over KK. I think you have to factor in the fact Ficano has been very low key durning this scandal. KK was very brash and made his scandal a him vs. the racist, suburban media which only fanned the flames.
.

**Gannon** · January-20-12, 06:40 PM

So far as we know, Ficano isn't getting away with murder.

**7miledog** · January-20-12, 07:31 PM

Originally Posted by MSUguy

I'd agree that there was much more outrage over KK. I think you have to factor in the fact Ficano has been very low key durning this scandal. KK was very brash and made his scandal a him vs. the racist, suburban media which only fanned the flames.
.

I think that is a fair explanation. BF always strikes me as a man who knows he's guilty every time he tries to explain something away, and he looks very bad doing it. I don't know if KK ever thought he did anything wrong.

**7miledog** · January-20-12, 07:36 PM

Originally Posted by Gannon

So far as we know, Ficano isn't getting away with murder.

I've always wondered about this, and I'm quite undecided exactly how I feel about all the allegations surrounding the MM party and fallout over the murder of Ms. Greene. What specific allegations/facts make you feel so certain, Gannon?

**lpg** · January-20-12, 08:14 PM

Originally Posted by detroitsgwenivere

People are outraged. But they are also tired of all this... It never seems to end.

I'd be interested to hear what people outside of Detroit in Wayne Co. think about all of this. Because the story I got from some folks downriver was that Bob has done plenty of good for the people on the westside of Wayne Co. at the expense of the rest of us, in their opinion.

It never seems to end...The rot starts on the local level and continues all the way up. Every election the choice seems to be who will do the least amount of damage. They have no problem taking food off your table in the form of higher taxes and just using it to enrich themselves and their cronies.

**rjk** · January-20-12, 08:38 PM

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/2...rom-Ficano-PAC

I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but I was wondering why the county commisioners weren't keeping an eye on Ficano. Just like everything else, follow the money.

SteveJ · January-20-12, 11:10 PM

I should have gotten a job with Wayne County.

**Zacha341** · January-21-12, 12:35 AM

Outstanding point! You can see the difference a bit there.

Originally Posted by 7miledog

I think that is a fair explanation. BF always strikes me as a man who knows he's guilty every time he tries to explain something away, and he looks very bad doing it. I don't know if KK ever thought he did anything wrong.

**Gannon** · January-21-12, 06:07 AM

Originally Posted by 7miledog

I've always wondered about this, and I'm quite undecided exactly how I feel about all the allegations surrounding the MM party and fallout over the murder of Ms. Greene. What specific allegations/facts make you feel so certain, Gannon?

Too many to recount here and now. Search the old threads. It has all been said before. It is enough to know that the wrecking of the city car by Kwhyme's EPU and the party were the common laughingstock of the bureauocrats within the city...until Tamara Greene died, then there were no more laughs.

That is all the proof anyone should need.

Sincerely,
John

**gnome** · January-21-12, 07:19 AM

Originally Posted by Zackdog

Ficano needs a driver because he can't reach the accelerator.

Well played.

**Novine** · January-21-12, 12:42 PM

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but I was wondering why the county commisioners weren't keeping an eye on Ficano. Just like everything else, follow the money."

They weren't looking because this stuff happens all over the place. The outraged media reports present this stuff as if Wayne County is the only place where elected officials hand out goodies to supporters and shake down contractors and others for contributions. Sorry to say, it happens at every level of government. Look through the campaign finance reports of your local, county and state officials. You'll see those are full of contributions from people doing business with that level of government. Lobbyists, PACs, business interests, developers, they are pushing money to any and all who have a say in the approval of their permits, developments, tax abatements, and so on.

**Wingnatic** · February-16-12, 10:20 AM

It looks like at least Wayne co. commisioner will ask him to resign today . I find it hard to believe Ficano is oblivious to all thats going on , and his previous job was in law enforcement . I think he should get out .

**Scottathew** · February-16-12, 11:03 AM

I would LOVE to see him resign, but he won't until he's about to be kicked out, just like KMK.

**Detwa** · February-16-12, 11:06 AM

They can ask....but can't he just say No?

That news conference last night had us all over here laughing so hard! "If the allegations are true then this is outrageous!!" He's such a terrible actor! Oh, forgot this one, his other favorite, "...and those people will be held accountable!" ROFLMAO. What a clown.

You know good and well that all of this was not going on without his knowledge. He's like a pimp, let's call him Gator. He gets them the job and then they go out like little MLM soldiers and start up their own corrupt hustle and come back and give him a cut.

It's beyond "asking" him to resign. He needs to be taken out of office by legal force, the way Granholm was about to take Kwame out. He's basically laughing in the faces of everyone at this point with all of that feigned indignance. And I'm really losing faith in Jeffrey Collins for being involved in this cesspool. I had high hopes for him coming on board but he has to see now that he's in a den of thieves. Makes me wonder why he's still there unless he's secretly working for the Feds, that's the only way I'll forgive him for his participation.

**cramerro** · February-16-12, 11:33 AM

I agree that the outrage is less, even though IMO the scope here is far greater. Kwame was a family and some friends kind of guy, BF is 150 or 180 appointees, current and former political allies and adversaries, and all those peoples' friends and family.

I'd say the FBI seems to be doing a good job of keeping this rolling along. Pretty soon ALL of those people will be held accountable, including BF himself, and likely a number of commissioners. I say pass a law that vacates all elected Wayne Co and local officials and prevents any of them or thier family members from running for office for 10 years. Then maybe we can get back on a clean slate.

**Gannon** · February-16-12, 12:57 PM

Originally Posted by cramerro

I agree that the outrage is less, even though IMO the scope here is far greater. Kwame was a family and some friends kind of guy, BF is 150 or 180 appointees, current and former political allies and adversaries, and all those peoples' friends and family.

Some weren't paying attention to the Kwhyme affair, then. The magic number of individuals directly on the Kwhyme gravy train was roughly 175, so the total number was multiples of that. That was the number of die-hards who met at Cobo Hall within a week or two of his resignation...although the timing may be off, I'm sure the number is right.

I spent a great deal of time DURING the Kwhyme affair saying that if this investigation didn't go upstream to contain the dirty pastors and McNamara cronies, then it wasn't going deep enough.

This, my friend, is the anti-climax. Ficano would have to kill a few people with his bare hands in Campus Martius during lunchtime to garner more emotion than was wasted on Kwhyme's self-made krisis.

Sorry, but it is true. We're all quite spent, and while ML is a great journalist...he doesn't make the same teevee that Steve Wilson did...

Cheers,
John